A baby doesn’t need this gadget or that gadget, it is the parents that need the gadgets.  If you really think about what a baby does need it’s….YOU.  When we were trying to get pregnant we really connected with attachment parenting and knew that is how we wanted to be parents.  When I got pregnant I suddenly was overtaken by what I have learned through media and my conventional upbringing.  My brain kept telling me,  “NO CRAZY YOU NEED A NURSERY” and “You have to have a crib” and blah blah blah…I couldn’t turn myself off.  So I added things such as a crib and co-sleeper to my registry and when I got them sent to me, I set them up and decorated and all was perfect, just had to wait for my little bundle.  When our little bundle came the mommy/mammal instincts took over!

I put him in the arms reach co-sleeper to sleep mainly because of people telling me I would be crazy to sleep with my baby and then listening to horror stories doesn’t help.  The funny thing is I would nurse my baby, put him in his co-sleeper and then once I fell asleep, I would jump up and wonder where he was, wondering why he wasn’t in my arms! This was the strangest feeling, but a feeling I ignored.  Until about two months ago Cedar was practically sleeping through the night.  It wasn’t until teething started that I finally understood why people kept telling me when I was pregnant, “enjoy your rest now”  seriously they were right! I really started to suffer sleep wise! He was waking up sometimes every 1/2 hour and mainly because he wanted to nurse for a few seconds and then go back to sleep.  Even though he was in a co-sleeper beside me,  just the motion of picking him up and putting him back down was exhausting when your doing this all night long.  Finally I decided to try him in bed.  I placed him between us and got rid of my pillow (this will be further explained in another blog) and he would naturally find my breast when he needed to nurse and then go back to sleep! It was amazing! Not to mention we cuddled all night long.  He still has rough nights with his teething woes but it makes my life so much easier to have him beside me, he is comforted by me and there is nothing wrong with that.

It is so natural for momma’s to sleep with their babies and all or most mammals co-sleep, allowing the baby to nurse on demand. Studies are also showing that  it is vital to co-sleep .   I do not say any of this to make parents feel bad about not co-sleeping or saying that any mother is doing anything wrong, but for our family this is what works and what is best.  I just want to wash away the notions that co-sleeping is bad.  Just because you hear of a bad story doesn’t mean it is bad for all and doesn’t mean you are harming your baby.  I think it is important that we listen to our instincts and if our instincts are telling us to keep our baby close then why turn that off?  I grew up with the notion that baby’s belong in cribs and you have to let them cry it out or they will be spoiled.  I just don’t see how meeting your child’s instinctual needs will spoil them.  Underneath it all, we are all just mammals.  Cedar reminds me of this everyday.  He hasn’t been overrun with images from the media, or been told that this is right and this is wrong, he is surviving off instincts.  I have learned so much from this little guy and look forward to learning more.

Cedar sleeping on his daddy <3

As for our gadgets…..our arms reach co-sleeper now stores my pillow, journal and book and his crib is great  safe spot to put him if I am showering or getting ready for the day.  Live and learn I guess! I will blog later about a “gadget” I think is a must have if you are attachment parenting,  baby carriers for baby wearing.  Until then, love to all momma’s and poppa’s!

To learn more about the benefits of co-sleeping, check out this great site!